Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are investigating the inclusion of a tilting mechanism on the HS2 trains, and what are the estimated costs and benefits of doing so.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The proposed HS2 rolling stock tender specification does not preclude a bidder offering a tilting train solution. Once bids are received they will be assessed for meeting the tender specification, which is designed to get the best technical and value for money rolling stock solution. Trains which can tilt are more expensive to buy and maintain, because of the tilt equipment needed on board. HS2 Ltd assumes that a tilting train would have a maximum operating speed of 300km/h on the high speed network, where they will primarily operate, whereas a non-tilting train would have a maximum operating speed of 360km/h, so the use of tilt trains would significantly decrease the benefits from reduced journey times. HS2 Ltd also assumes that a tilting train would have a lower seating capacity than a non-tilting train. This would significantly reduce the benefits gained from seating capacity.

Level Crossings

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate the have made of the savings that Network Rail could make if the Law Commission’s report on level crossings were implemented in full.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: No estimates have yet been made of the savings Network Rail would make if the Law Commissions’ report were implemented in full. However, an assessment of costs and benefits would be published alongside any legislative proposal.

Driving: Rural Areas

lord teverson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking, if any, to ensure that driving test requirements, and driving penalties, reflect the need to improve the quality of driving on rural roads and adherence to the Countryside Code, particularly with regard to passing non-motorised transport such as bicycles and horses.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is taking measures to make the theory and practical driving tests more reflective of a real life driving journey, including a greater emphasis on driving safely on rural roads.Theory Test:The DVSA is currently refreshing the Hazard Perception Test and associated learning materials, which includes focussing on encountering and dealing safely with vulnerable rural road users such as cyclists, horses and horse riders.Practical Test:The DVSA is about to conclude a two year trial that aims to make the practical driving test more reflective of a real life driving journey. Proposals include:- expanding test routes to incorporate higher risk rural roads where statistically new drivers are more likely to be involved in crashes, which will test a candidate's ability to deal with vulnerable road users such as cyclists, horses and horse riders.- extending the period of independent driving from 10 to 20 minutes and the introduction of the use of satellite navigation for this period, which will further test a candidate's ability to cope with distraction. All road users are required to comply with road traffic law, in the interests of their own safety and that of other road users. If road users do not adopt a responsible attitude, or if their use of the highway creates an unsafe environment or causes nuisance, there are already laws in place that can make them liable for prosecution.

Public Transport

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they give to ensuring the provision of air-links to all major international trading hubs, from all parts of the UK, when making major air infrastructure decisions.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Airports are privately owned companies and make their own infrastructure investment decisions. However, the Department for Transport regards air services to and from the UK as an economic priority, essential for the creation of jobs and growth, which is why the Government announced its preference for expansion at Heathrow and is currently consulting on that preference as part of a draft Airports National Policy Statement. Expansion at Heathrow Airport would benefit the whole of the UK and would give even more areas access to London and its connections to important international markets, with cities and regions across the UK expected to benefit. Expansion at Heathrow would ensure the number of services on existing routes increases and allow airlines to offer more frequent new routes to vital emerging markets. This is demonstrated by the forecasts produced by the Airports Commission. Compared to no expansion, the Airports Commission estimated that a Northwest Runway at Heathrow Airport by 2040 would result in 125,000 additional flights a year across the UK as a whole (including 39,000 long haul), and 27 million additional passengers a year.

Large Goods Vehicles

lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to introduce weigh-in-motion sensors to the road networks of England and Wales, in the light of their use in Scotland.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) currently uses a network of weigh-in-motion sensors combined with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at eleven strategic locations across England. There are no weigh-in-motion sensors in Wales.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Libya: Immigrants

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent the UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migrants are able to operate freely in Libya.

baroness anelay of st johns: Despite the temporary evacuation of all UN agencies and most international Non-Governmental Organisations from Libya in 2014, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Libya maintained a local staff presence in Tripoli and Benghazi to support and monitor their programmes. UNHCR Libya international staff continue to operate remotely from Tunisia. The International Organisation for Migration have also maintained an operational presence through local staff in Libya, with international staff based in Tunis. We recognise that the work of UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration on the ground in Libya is constrained by the local security situation.

Libya: Immigrants

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have received on the number of refugees and migrants held in detention centres or prisons in Libya; and what is their estimate of the proportion of those detainees (1) intent on reaching Europe, and (2) willing to return to their country of origin.

baroness anelay of st johns: The 13 December 2016 joint report by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) notes that between 4000 and 7000 migrants and refugees are held in detention centres in Libya, representing 2-3% of the total estimated migrant population. It is difficult to ascertain what proportion of these detainees are intent on reaching Europe or willing to return to their country of origin, although the International Organisation for Migrants claims the majority would be willing to return to their home country voluntarily.

Department for International Development

Mediterranean Region: Immigrants

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the £30 million of aid for refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean region, announced by the Prime Minister on 3 February, will be divided between the International Organization for Migration, the UNHCR, and other groups.

lord bates: DFID has allocated £5 million to the International Organization for Migration to provide life-saving assistance to migrants and refugees in Libya, Sudan and the Balkans. This includes support for them to return home if they wish to do so and improvements to conditions in Libyan detention centres. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been assigned £9.8 million for their work in Greece, the Balkans and North Africa, to improve refugee status determination processes, and support local integration and assisted voluntary returns. The remainder has been allocated to trusted partners to meet the needs of vulnerable women and girls, enable rapid responses to new crises, such as freezing winter conditions in the Balkans, and improve the evidence base to enable the humanitarian system to respond more effectively.

South Sudan: Famine

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answers by Lord Bates on 23 February (HL Deb, col 411), what humanitarian access is available to NGOs in Unity State; and what is their estimate of the percentage of South Sudan’s population that remains inaccessible to agencies seeking to provide food to those affected by famine.

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answers by Lord Bates on 23 February (HL Deb, col 411), what progress has been made in ending South Sudan’s civil war; and how many people they estimate (1) have been displaced, or (2) have become refugees, as a consequence of the war and conflicts in the neighbouring areas of the Republic of Sudan.

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answers by Lord Bates on 23 February (HL Deb, col 411), what is their estimate of the number of children in South Sudan now affected by malnutrition.

lord bates: The UK, with international partners is applying strong pressure on South Sudan’s leaders to stop the fighting, find an inclusive political solution to the conflict, and allow unfettered humanitarian access.There are currently 3.4million people displaced by the conflict, 1.5million of whom have become refugees in surrounding countries. Approximately 1million children are currently affected by malnutrition including 250,000 who are severely malnourished.More than 1million people are on the brink of famine across the country but it is impossible to provide accurate figures for those who are beyond the reach of humanitarian organisations due to the unpredictable nature of the conflict and access restrictions.

South Sudan: Famine

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answers by Lord Bates on 23 February (HL Deb, col 411), how much new money has been allocated to alleviate famine in South Sudan; to whom it has been (1) allocated, and (2) given; and how it is being used.

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answers by Lord Bates on 23 February (HL Deb, col 411), and to the statement by the Secretary of State for International Development on 22 February announcing new packages of life-saving UK aid for South Sudan and Somalia, how much new money is being made available and allocated for use in South Sudan.

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Bates on 23 February (HL Deb, col 411), when the new money allocated to help famine victims in South Sudan was signed off; who are the intended recipients of that funding; and whether any of that money has been allocated to (1) the government of South Sudan, (2) NGOs, or (3) UN agencies, and if so, how much.

lord bates: Millions of people in South Sudan have been suffering from food shortages for many years. For this reason, DFID has developed a large multi-year humanitarian programme and the UK, with other donors, have been able to prevent famine in each of the last three years. We provide our partners with indicative allocations to help them to plan – but these are not binding commitments. The Secretary of State’s announcement on 22 February that the UK would make £100million available to provide food for 500,000 people and other lifesaving support is the first public announcement, and a binding commitment, of our intended support to South Sudan over the next year.The recipients of the UK’s humanitarian assistance are the people of South Sudan who need it most. The UK does not give any money to the Government of South Sudan. The details of how the £100million will be allocated are being finalised with our partners who are a range of UN agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations.

South Sudan: Famine

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answers by Lord Bates on 23 February (HL Deb, col 411), who is coordinating international efforts to help the victims of the famine in South Sudan; and what meetings the Minister and Secretary of State have convened with their international counterparts to ensure an effective response to the famine.

lord bates: International efforts are coordinated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The UK is engaging at all levels with the United Nations to push for a swift and effective response. We are calling on all parties to the conflict in South Sudan to lay down their arms and allow unrestricted humanitarian access.During his visit to South Sudan in February Minister Wharton met with the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General, David Shearer, to discuss the immediate and urgent response to the humanitarian situation as well as steps that need to be taken to bring an end to the conflict.The Secretary of State and DFID officials have called and written to many of their counterparts to push other donors to follow the UK’s lead and step up with funding for the UN appeal and to take part in a coordinated response to this crisis.

Gaza: Foot and Mouth Disease

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what aid they have given, and what action they intend to take, following reports that there is an outbreak of Foot and Mouth with consequent loss of animals and restrictions on movement in Gaza.

lord bates: The Ministry of Agriculture in Ramallah and the veterinary services in the Gaza Strip are managing the outbreak and have not asked for assistance from the UK. The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture sent 30,000 vaccine doses, enough for 10,000 cattle, to Gaza and vaccination of cattle in Gaza is ongoing. Restrictions on animal movement within, from and to Gaza have been imposed to limit further spread of the disease.

Department for Education

Teachers: Labour Turnover

baroness smith of basildon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the retention rates of teachers and trainee teachers by (1) region, and (2) subject.

lord nash: The Department publishes the retention rate of teachers at national level. This information shows that around 90% of teachers are employed in state-funded schools in the year after qualifying and 70% are still employed in the state-funded sector after five years.These statistics are published in Table 8 at the following web link but are not produced by region or by subject.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2015 Statistics showing the number and rate for teacher entrants, teacher turnover and teacher wastage by region are publicly available in section 2 of the ‘Local analysis of teacher workforce: 2010 to 2015’ at the following web link. These statistics are not produced by subject.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-analysis-of-teacher-workforce-2010-to-2015 Figures for the number of trainee teachers who completed Initial Teacher Training (and their employment outcomes within six months of gaining qualified teacher status) by subject and region are publicly available. These statistics are published in the statistical first release ‘Initial teacher training (ITT) performance profiles for teacher training providers in England in the academic year 2014 to 2015’ available at the following web link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-performance-profiles-2014-to-2015 The proportion of postgraduate trainees who are awarded QTS and gain employment within 6 months has remained broadly flat, with percentages ranging from 87% to 95% over the last 10 years. There are regional statistics in the link below, although these may not reflect the location of the trainees’ employment. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-performance-profiles-2014-to-2015

Equality and Human Rights Commission

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the capability of the Equality and Human Rights Commission to discharge its duties and responsibilities.

lord nash: The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has and will continue, through the current spending review period, to receive sufficient funds to enable it to fulfil its statutory functions, against the agreed minimum level of just over £17m a year noted by the final evidence report of the EHRC’s Comprehensive Budget Review in 2013, a copy of which is attached.As part of the Cabinet Office’s ongoing review of all Public Bodies, this Government expects to commence a tailored review of the EHRC in 2017-18. This will provide a further opportunity to consider the EHRC’s capability to discharge its duties and responsibilities.



Comprehensive_Budget_review_of_the_EHRC
(PDF Document, 253.08 KB)

Equality and Human Rights Commission

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the resources allocated to the Equality and Human Rights Commission are being used appropriately and benefitting those who are experiencing unlawful discrimination.

lord nash: The EHRC is an independent body, which makes its own decisions on the allocation of its resources.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the effectiveness, (2) the operational performance, and (3) the achievements, of the Equality and Human Rights Commission; and whether they have given any consideration to its abolition or replacement.

lord nash: Ministers, the Director of the Government Equalities Office (GEO) and officials in the GEO hold regular meetings with Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Board members and senior staff, which discuss current operational, spending and budgetary matters as specified by the EHRC’s Framework Document. In addition, GEO attends meetings of EHRC’s Audit and Risk Committee as an observer. The EHRC’s annual reports, which are laid before Parliament by the Secretary of State in accordance with the Equality Act 2006, detail its achievements and the performance of its functions for the relevant financial year. As part of the Cabinet Office’s ongoing review of all Public Bodies, this Government expects to commence a tailored review of the EHRC in 2017-18. This will provide a further opportunity to consider the EHRC’s effectiveness and operational performance.

Pre-school Education: Teachers

baroness massey of darwen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the reports by Save the Children, Untapped Potential published in October 2016, and Early Development and Children's Later Educational Outcomes published in February 2016, concerning the impact of having qualified Early Years teachers in nurseries on children's early development.

lord nash: The Government agrees that the first few years of a child’s life are fundamentally important. Evidence tells us that they shape children’s future development and influence how well children do at school. They also affect their on-going health and wellbeing and their achievements later in life. In 2013 we introduced the early years initial teacher training programme which leads to the award of Early Years Teacher Status. We have made a significant investment in this programme, funding is available for training course fees, with additional funding for nursery employers to help them support graduates in their setting to become early years teachers. To encourage the best graduates into the early years workforce we provide bursaries to eligible trainees. On 3 March the Department for Education published an early years workforce strategy which seeks to remove the barriers to attracting, retaining and developing staff. For graduates we have begun the process to amend regulations so that early years teachers can lead teaching in nursery and reception classes in maintained schools. Over the longer term, we are going to consider how plans to strengthen QTS could offer positive opportunities for early years teachers. We also want to make sure that all settings serving disadvantaged children can access specialist graduates, so we are commissioning a feasibility study to explore how best to achieve this.A copy of the early years workforce strategy is attached.



Early-years_workforce_strategy
(PDF Document, 638.42 KB)

Ministry of Justice

Reoffenders

lord watts: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment has been made of reoffending rates for (1) ex-prisoners who have undertaken enterprise courses, and (2) those who have not.

lord keen of elie: Data published by my department on the impact of employment on reduced re-offending relies on data drawn together from across the Criminal Justice System, supplemented by data on the employment and benefit status of offenders from a data sharing agreement between MoJ, DWP and HMRC. That data does not enable any comparative assessment of reoffending rates for ex-prisoners who have or have not undertaken enterprise courses.

Magistrates' Courts

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the total caseload in the magistrates’ courts was presided over by (1) district judges, and (2) lay magistrates, in each of the last two years for which figures are available.

lord keen of elie: It is not possible to classify cases in this way because one case may have several hearings, and might on one occasion be heard by a bench of magistrates and on another occasion by a District Judge. Magistrates and District Judges bring different but equally valuable skills to our justice system and the magistrates’ courts. We continue to work with magistrates to ensure they have as full a role as possible.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Equality

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what policies and practices they advocate to encourage boardroom diversity and equality; what advice and encouragement they have given on diversity and equality to Channel 4; and to what effect.

baroness buscombe: The Cabinet Office Centre for Public Appointments, which works across Whitehall, as well as with the private sector and different stakeholder groups, has modernised recruitment practices and attracted a more diverse field of candidates from an ever-wider range of social and professional backgrounds by: · Placing an emphasis on ability, rather than prior experience, ensuring key roles in public bodies are open to those with skills required · Increasing awareness of public appointments through a central online advertising website, events and social media · Simplifying the application process to just require a CV and cover letter · Assessing every job advert to ensure they are fit for purpose and are open to a wider number of applicants to ensure a diverse pool of candidates. In 2013 the Government published its strategy for Increasing Diversity in Public Appointments. The Cabinet Office will be publishing an update to this strategy later this year.

Department for Work and Pensions

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

lord henley: This Government is committed to ensuring that disabled people in the UK are supported to fulfil their potential. The Office for Disability Issues are currently preparing for the UK’s upcoming periodic examination, which will consider how the UK is implementing the Convention. As part of this process, the UK Government are engaging with stakeholders about key issues and will respond to the UN Committee’s list of issues with a report in summer 2017.

Home Office

Knives: Crime

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any new initiatives are planned to deal with knife crime.

baroness williams of trafford: Tackling knife crime is a priority for the Government. The Government’s Modern Crime Prevention Strategy published in March 2016 set out a range of measures to strengthen our response to knife crime. Since then we have delivered on our commitment to ban the sale, manufacture and importation of zombie knives and to extend our work with retailers to prevent the underage sale of knives.We have agreed a set of commitments with major retailers to prevent the underage sales of knives more generally in their stores and online. The agreement also covers staff training and displays and packaging. Tesco, Lidl UK, Amazon UK, Wilko, Argos, Asda, Poundland, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, John Lewis and Waitrose have all signed up to the principles. They have since been joined by Boots, the Co-op, B&Q, Aldi and TKMaxx.Raising awareness of the risks and consequences of carrying a knife is an important part of our knife crime prevention approach. We are working closely with organisations such as Redthread and St Giles, who intervene with young people at the “teachable moment”.We also support Operation Sceptre, which are police led national coordinated weeks of action to tackle knife crime. In October 2016, 21 police forces across the country took part in the operation which included targeting habitual knife carriers, weapon sweeps, test purchases of knives from identified retailers, and the use of surrender bins. Further operations are being planned for 2017.

Department of Health

Licensed Premises

lord rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage the sale of more low-alcohol or non-alcoholic drinks in licensed venues; and what assessment they have made of the potential health benefits of such a policy.

lord o'shaughnessy: The 2016 United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines provide the public with the most up-to-date scientific information to help people make informed choices about their own drinking. The Government is committed to working with industry to address concerns over any irresponsible promotions, advertising and marketing of alcohol.